Eastern Tailed-Blue butterfly

Eastern Tailed-Blue butterfly (Cupido comyntas) perched on a smartweed (Persicaria sp.).  Faint orange spots at the bottom of the hindwing.  Warren County, August 21, 2019.

According to Belth's Butterflies of Indiana, the Eastern Tailed-Blue is "The most frequently encountered blue butterfly in Indiana."

Link to Cupido comyntas:

Pearl Crescent

Pearl Crescent butterfly (Phyciodes tharos).  Warren County, August 21, 2019.

According to Belth's Butterflies of Indiana, the Pearl Crescent is "abundant statewide in virtually any open habitat where asters grow."

Link to Phyciodes tharos:

Fowler's toad

Fowler's toad (Anaxyrus fowleri) at Kankakee Sands Nature Preserve, on the trail that goes up the sand hill next to the bison viewing parking lot.  Lots of these little toads were hopping around here.  Newton County.  Photo taken August 14, 2019.

Link to Fowler's toad:

Link to Fowler's toad:

Cottonweed

Cottonweed (Froelichia floridana) at Kankakee Sands Nature Preserve, Newton County.  This is on the sand hill next to the bison viewing parking lot.  Photo taken August 14, 2019.

Link to Froelichia floridana:

Link to Froelichia floridana:

Barn swallow nest

Barn swallow nest, under the eaves of the nature center building at Versailles State Park, Ripley County, August 8, 2019.

There were several more active nests at this building.  Barn swallows were seen flying around here, flying to and from these nests.

Link to Barn swallow (Hirundo rustica):

Link to Versailles State Park:

Wabash River, August 3, 2019.

A nice view of the Wabash from the pedestrian bridge at Lafayette, looking upstream.  Photo taken August 3, 2019.

Link to Wabash River levels:

Cedar waxwings were perched on tree branches on the right side of the river and flew out over the water hawking for insects, then returning to the branches.

Link to hawking in birds:

Link to video of cedar waxwings hawking:

A huge school of hundreds of carp were seen just looking down on the river from this vantage point.  Carp were big, each about 2 ft. long, floating close to the river surface.  

Disonycha flea beetle

Flea beetle, Disonycha sp.  Photo taken earlier this year, May 22, 2019, downtown Lafayette.

Link to Disonycha:

Link to flea beetles:

Cicada killer wasp

A cicada killer wasp (Sphecius speciosus) catches a cicada.  Lafayette, Tippecanoe County, August 5, 2019.

Link to Sphecius speciosus:

Meadow beauty

Meadow beauty (Rhexia virginica) on Trail 8, Sand Hill Nature Preserve, at Tippecanoe River State Park, Pulaski County.  Photo taken July 27, 2019.

Link to Tippecanoe River State Park:

A close-up view of the previous photo, showing the curious flower structure of Rhexia virginica.

Rhexia virginica, at Fisher Oak Savanna Nature Preserve, Newton County.  Photo taken August 2, 2019.

Link to Fisher Oak Savanna:


Link to Rhexia virginica:

Link to Rhexia virginica:

Rhexia is the only genus in the Melastomataceae plant family native to Indiana.  Most species of Melastomataceae are in tropical parts of the world.  Besides Rhexia virginica, the even less common Rhexia mariana is found in the southern part of Indiana.

Link to Melastomataceae: